Noida International Airport will allow passengers to use the DigiYatra biometric system for entry at the terminal, security checkpoints, and boarding gates, according to Christoph Schnellmann, the airport’s Chief Executive Officer.
Complementing the biometric system, the airport will also deploy self-service bag drop facilities and self-boarding gates across the terminal. These automated systems will allow passengers to check baggage and board flights independently, reducing queue times and operational delays.
What did Christoph Schnellmann say?
The airport will include 13 security lanes in Phase 1, with cabin baggage screened using an automated tray retrieval system and hold baggage or check-in baggage processed through an in-line tracking system, Schnellmann told FE in an interview.
From its first day of operations, the airport will also offer intercity and long-haul buses, airport taxis, and will also include a fleet of electric taxis operated by Mahindra Logistics Mobility.
NIA has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) to introduce direct bus services from the airport to major cultural, religious, and economic destinations such as Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Agra, Aligarh, Mathura – Vrindavan and Meerut.
Schnellmann on features of the airport
The new terminal will use CT scanners for hold baggage screening, while X-ray machines will handle hand baggage when the airport first starts operations but there are design provisions for future upgrades, including full-body scanners, Schnellmann said.
He added that the terminal design of the new airport includes a mixed-rotation gate system, allowing aircraft arriving from domestic destinations to depart internationally from the same gate and vice versa.
“This flexibility aims to reduce aircraft turnaround times and improve operational efficiency,” Schnellmann said, adding that the airport’s multi-level terminal design will ensure that domestic and international passengers remain separated, maintaining security protocols while enabling efficient gate usage.
The new airport will also include a ground transportation complex that will, by 2030, accommodate 50,000 vehicles, including 40 buses and 4,500 cars and two-wheelers, with provisions for future metro and Namo Bharat train stations at underground levels.
The new airport is designed to accommodate 12 million passengers annually in Phase 1, and is expected to cater to 6 to 8 million passengers in the first full year of operation. The facility also includes CAT 3 navigational equipment to support operations in low visibility conditions.
Schnellmann added that the next phase of expansion will be triggered when traffic reaches 80 per cent of phase capacity, with subsequent phases designed to reach 30 million, 50 million, and ultimately 70 million passengers annually by 2050.
IndiGo will be the launch carrier for the airport, while Akasa Air will operate both domestic and international routes from the airport.
In the first phase, the airport will connect to ten Indian cities, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Airlines from the Middle East and Southeast Asia have shown interest in operating from the facility, Schnellmann said.